A home with a swimming pool is often the most popular house on the block. This is particularly true in Florida, where an abundance of homeowners have a swimming pool where family, friends, and neighborhood kids can cool off. With that luxury comes an enormous responsibility to keep everyone who goes in or around the pool safe. Public pools are also popular here, and communities and management companies, like homeowners, are responsible for pool users' safety and lives. When pool owners fail to acknowledge this responsibility, accidents happen. If a neighbor, acquaintance, or public pool owner fails to take precautionary measures to protect children and adults from accidents--injury and even death can result.

A South Florida Swimming Pool Injury Lawyer can help families determine liability in cases where a loved one has suffered injuries or died following a swimming pool accident.

South Florida Swimming Pool Accidents and Drownings

Florida is the Sunshine State. But there's a dark side, too. Did you know that Florida has some of the highest rates in the nation for incidents of swimming pool accidents and deaths? Some frightening facts:

• Failure to properly maintain swimming pools, to provide ladders and safety handrails, to cover pools when they're not in use and enclose them with fences to avoid unsupervised use can lead to accidents, drownings and death.
• Poorly constructed swimming pools pose increased hazards to those who use them. Patio furniture can be another hazard and cause of accidents.
• A child can drown in a very shallow amount of water, in just a matter of minutes.
• Swimming pool accidents are the second-leading cause of death for kids younger than 14.
• Swimming pool accidents can cause injuries including head, neck, and spinal column injuries that can cause paralysis, drowning and death.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in Sunbelt States like Florida, the number-one cause of death in children aged 5 and younger is drowning. Premises Liability laws are in place to protect people of all ages when they use Florida swimming pools, including privately owned and public pools.

The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act and Florida Public Pools

Children are particularly vulnerable to injury and death by drowning when they are playing in or near a swimming pool in South Florida. The federal Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act was founded to protect children from being trapped by the suction of pool drainage and filtration systems. The law went into effect on December 19, 2008, requiring all public pools in Florida and the United States to put covers on pool filtration drains to prevent children from being sucked to the bottom and entrapped.

The story behind the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act is tragic and painful for any parent to read. Former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker's granddaughter Virginia, age 7, was at a school party in 2002 playing in a hot tub. The little girl was sucked into a drain at the bottom of the pool and trapped. Despite the efforts of her mother and other nearby adults, Virginia could not be freed in time and she died from her injuries.

All South Florida public pools are required to make repairs or improvements to cover drains in compliance with the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, though government agencies are unsure how to inspect for and uphold the new federal law.

A Florida Swimming Pool Accidents attorney can examine the details surrounding a pool accident injury or drowning case to help determine liability and whether the case is compensable.

If someone you know was injured or killed in a private or public swimming pool, find out your rights. A Florida premises liability attorney may be able to hold the owners accountable and demand restitution. It is our job to prove that the swimming pool owner exhibited negligent behavior which ultimately led to the injury or death, and that the damage was preventable.

The Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Palm Beach and Miami swimming pool accidents attorneys at Chalik & Chalik are knowledgeable about complex premises liability law and have the experience to prove fault.

If you or a loved one were injured on someone else's property in or around a swimming pool, you may be entitled to compensation. Call Toll Free: 888-539-5297 or email the Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers and Miami, Florida premises liability and swimming pool accident lawyers at Chalik & Chalik for your complimentary legal consultation.